He's a Tramp
by Berserker Nightwitch
Summary: Hilde reflects on Duo and his inablity to keep up a relationship. Song is from The Lady and the Tramp.


Inspired by _He's A Tramp_ from Lady and the Tramp

When I first met Duo, I was scouting the area for new recruits. I saw Duo and WHAM! Instant crush. He was the hottest guy I had seen in awhile. He was practically begging for attention, what with his butt-length braid, black clothes, and sunglasses even though he was inside. So when he looked at me, I felt something rush through me. To cover it up I shoved a flier at him and told him to sign up.

I saw him again when they caught the Gundam Pilot. I was sent in to interrogate him. Then I saw his eyes. It wasn't the color that got to me, and let's face it, violet eyes would make anyone flip; it was the determination and complete belief in what he was doing. He knew he was right, and I could see in his eyes that he wouldn't rest quietly until the rest of the world knew it, too.

So I helped him out. Then he helped me when I was in trouble, and I helped him again when he needed a place to crash. I liked the arrangement. I got to see the enigma that was Duo Maxwell every day. Then he got called back for a mission. I was upset, but I wouldn't let him know that. Later I tried helping him again by getting him some information. I almost got myself killed, but it was worth it to see those violet eyes again.

It's been three years since the Marimaia incident, and I've seen him with more girls than I can count. He took over the junkyard I was staying at. The owner didn't want it anymore and was trying to sell it. Duo bought it and made it prosper again. I've got my own house right at the edge of the junkyard, right next door to his. But that's getting off topic.

At first I thought it was just a stage he was going through. Every night he'd bring home a new girl. I know. I was watching from my window next door. And before you start to scold and say, "Hilde, that's too much like a Relena-stalker thing", I've gotta let you know that I did it because I'm worried about him. And, okay I'll admit it, I'm a little jealous of those girls. But only a little. I was one of those girls. I pride myself on being the first and the longest. I was with him for two weeks. After those girls leave in the morning I never see them again.

Duo seems to enjoy breaking their hearts. Or, that's the only excuse I can find that doesn't make me want to 'mother' him, as he puts it. But I worry about him. I don't think Duo has ever had a lasting relationship with anyone. I haven't either, but I don't bring random, drunk people home every night and then send them off without so much as another thought the next morning.

You would think by now that Duo's reputation as a heartbreaker would precede him by now, but I guess everyone wants their heart broken by the fallen angel who calls himself death. I wasn't as upset as I could've - and should've - been when he ended our relationship. I was happy to have had the time with him that I did. Maybe it's the same way with them.

Sometimes Duo leaves for weeks and months at a time. Then, just as I begin to wonder if he's managed to get himself killed this time, he'll be at my door, asking if I have any food and did he get any mail while he was gone. He's the only one that can get me so worried that I think I'll scream, then so angry that I'm ready to rip his smiling face out, and then so completely in love with him that I don't know how I manage not to attack him. And after all that, I'm so relieved that he's back home, safe and sound, that I collapse in bed for a few days just to recover.

He drives me up the wall sometimes, but I still love him. I almost wish sometimes that there were more of him. That way I could have one of him to myself all the time. But if that were the case, I think I'd end up in a mantel hospital. The stress of looking after more than one Duo would make me crazy.

Duo is my best friend. He has been since he opened my eyes to what Oz was really doing. I wish I could do more for him, but I can't. I water his plants and feed his cat while he's gone. I collect his mail and secretly watch over him. I threaten any of the girls who decide that they don't want him to get away with leaving them. I make sure he doesn't forget to eat when he's got his mind set on a new project.

Oh, did I tell you what he does as a hobby now? He takes the old junk metal, the stuff no one wants, and he turns it into art. He'll put it together and then, where heaps of metal used to be, will be a dragon, or a group of intertwined figures, or just a group of metal that you still know is the work of a genius. And when that creative instinct takes over, he forgets about life. For a few weeks there is no steady stream of one-night- stands, but he also forgets to eat or sleep. I have to go get him from the shack he works in and - sometimes - force-feed him and put him to bed myself.

He drives me crazy most of the time, but I couldn't live without him. Even if he does just think of me as a friend. But someday, I will find out why his relationships never seem to last. And I'll find out why, when he thinks no one is around, he'll silently cry.

A/N: Okay, what did you think?In this fic, Hide doesn't know about Duo's past. The reason his relationships are so short is because he never had a lasting relationship as a child. Everyone left him, so I was thinking maybe that would have an effect on his later life. Please review and let me know what you think and what I could do better. BTW, I'm still working on first person stories, but this one kinda called for it.


End file.
